John Smith

I thought at the end of episode 32, CSS pretty much said she was going to be the person she is, and that was the person LBY wanted to marry. It confuses me that she is young and uneducated, yet has a smart mouth and seems to have important people actually listening to her. She is a teenager and has only been in the palace for a short time, so even if she wanted to change, it is not going to happen overnight. She also sees the Queen as a mother figure and is very protective of her. This is 100% on LBY to deal with. He is a battlefield general, well-educated, and knows what is going on around him and in the palace. He also knows the type of person CSS is. It is a drama, so if they did the smart thing, there would probably not be much of a drama. CSS does need to mature, but she has to do it in the crucible of the palace where she is an outsider with no real power.

On a related note, when will XYY clear the lump in her throat and actually tell CSS how she really feels about her daughter? When CSS slams the door in her face she needs to figure out how to stick her foot in the door, and actually say something and not let CSS misunderstand her intentions.

I am okay with just about any trope, just in moderation. I am not a fan of cutthroat palace dramas that are so dangerous, I spend more time looking over the leads' shoulders than focusing on the story. I like political drama provided it is easy to understand, and not some plot where I need diagrams and charts to follow along. I suppose I am used to family drama (sorry if any of my family members anonymously use this site too), but I have always found it uncomfortable to see how family life can be portrayed in historical dramas.
I do not really do the numbers rating thing on the site, but I would recommend that anyone who enjoys watching dramas to give this one a shot. It is not a romantic comedy, nor do I feel it is really fits into a historical or fantasy drama as well. It is not silly or dark, but it is silly and dark at times. I am not sure if there were supposed to be so many funny scenes, but I found myself laughing more than I expected given the main leads' background and situations. It also has the most un-Emperor Emperor I have come across (which is a good thing). Who has not wanted to rule the world, but watching these dramas I realized I am more likely to be poisoned and killed by someone I love than to enjoy life. At least this Emperor makes it seem like it is not so bad, and you do not have to be a total jerk (or any other negative word) to be a ruler.

I was not trying to cast doubt on the ability of the second half of the drama to deliver an exceptional finish. My thoughts were more geared towards reasons why part two may not be rated as high as part one by viewers here in general. So far, I have looked forward to each episode and think the main actors have done a great job in carrying the main role considering they have not had a lot of screen time together yet, and even less time as a formal couple. Still have a day and a half to go until we find out what is next...

One thing I enjoyed about the first part was that the story was deliberate (I do not want to say it was slow), but things were always happening. It is obvious a few episodes into the second part that the story is speeding up. So much was set up in the first half, there is plenty of best to offer. I still think that the second half will be the lower rated half because the first half was pretty safe, but raised expectations for the second half. I am looking forward to it.

I think that part of it could be that the second half is a change in direction for the couple and the overall story. For better or worse, the change is probably here to stay for the rest of the drama now that they are together, CSS is in the palace, and more secrets are being uncovered. I thought dramas like A Dream of Splendor and Who Rules the World (both which I enjoyed) stumbled a bit in the second half as more angst, palace intrigue, and separation came into the mix. The first word in the drama title is love, so I think things will be better overall if that is what the focus is on, and the story keeps the rest to a minimum.

I found it hard to pity her because the drama did not really do the best job of showing her suffering. We were dropped in right as her parents were coming back, so we did not get to the suffering and misfortune. Her personality seems to run from bratty know-it-all to meek woe-is-me sprinkled with enlightened words of wisdom often happening in the span of one conversation. Part one seemed to lay the groundwork for everyone (her included), and I think part two is where everything will start changing and developing.
Besides the fact I have to keep telling myself CSS is only supposed to be a young teen, I think ZLS is doing a really good job in the role.

I think in a pressurized powder keg of a situation where almost anything you say other than the thing they want to hear could get you in trouble makes it tough to really blame the family of CSS. Or CSS for that matter. LBY is not a perfect character by any means and some of the things he has done in regards to CSS make me uncomfortable. I do not feel the mother really degraded CSS, but was honest in a way that sought to shelter her from being a part of the Imperial family. We know that LBY is the ML and CSS is the FL, but only the viewers do. Everyone else in the drama has their own interests and worries. XYY will not win mother of the year, but CSS will not be daughter of the year as well.
I would like to reiterate that actions by all parties were not as good as they could have been in that situation and perhaps things could have been said and done before that to avoid that situation altogether.
I do think your last statement is probably the opposite of what I am waiting for. I am waiting for her mother to show that she cares for CSS in a way that is clear and obvious to CSS. I think so far, most of the mother's care has been so deep down, it has been misunderstood. The father is really no help either. He is always the pushover good guy.

I know this a bit of a tangent, but I wish that LBY would have not have been so close to the Emperor. I would have liked to see the drama with another insulating layer between CSS family/LBY family/Emperor family. Maybe I have never been into palace machinations, but I also think it would have allowed more focus to be on CSS, LBY, and their families. The drama has way too many "bad" guys (maybe a few too many "good" ones as well), and I really hope the story focuses on CSS and LBY. I am looking forwards to the second part.

It is a drama with an exaggerated plot and amplified actions and emotions. I watch them to be entertained, and if I manage to learn something or gain some sort of insight into life then that is okay too. I also enjoy talking to people who have informed opinions (really the only ones that count) and can share them in a respectful manner. Unfortunately, sprinkled in is toxic netizen behavior, fanatical celebrity support, and those who enjoy provoking others for the sake of aggravating them. I just wade through the comments/discussions and hope to find one that looks like it could be worthwhile to engage in.
I think that no matter what you think of the mother-daughter (family) dynamic, it plays a big role in the drama, and will probably continue to. I think someone said earlier that they were looking forward to more romance between the leads and how the mother-daughter relationship develops. If they can do that while keeping the angst and drag to a minimum, then the drama has a chance to maintain its very good rating.

I just did not see it as a big deal as others made it out to be. Both ladies were put on the spot at the meeting with the Imperial family. You actually got to see how much alike they both are. I think the mother is too clever and stubborn to really believe that simply saying one sentence would be enough to stop the avalanche that LBY and the Emperor were creating. We both watch dramas and we watch from the outside in. We know LBY is the ML and a "good" guy. CSS had recently seen a man get his head cut off by his former wife, who was then forced together with someone CSS was going to marry. She also had to pull an arrow out of LBY's chest. I have no idea how anyone lived to be 20 in historical Imperial dramalands. So my tendency is to be critical of everyone, yet understanding since we can get glimpses that characters are much more complex than other characters can see.

I do think that if any of this happened in today's world, it would be a totally different story. If CSS and her family did not have their life revolving about the military and Imperial worlds, it would be a different story as well. I am probably appalled by most of the things that happen in dramas like this. I might just be used to it. This drama is just more mellow, so it seems better by comparison. XYY needs to be better, CSS needs to be better, LBY needs to be better. Every important character really needs to develop which is what I hope happens in part two.

I do not think you are nagging. I have always felt that people have relationships with the dramas they watch. Certain things just reach out and touch your heart and you feel compelled to respond, especially if you notice no one else is or someone had a totally different (and wrong of course... just kidding) understanding of what is going on. Dramas amp up emotions on screen so why not be passionate about it. As long as commenters can as respectful and thoughtful as possible, I am all for it.

I do think that both parties could do a better job of meeting each other halfway towards understanding, but I believe that sometimes the situations both find themselves in really does not help. The surprise unknowingly engaged again and emperor forcing it had both ladies taken aback.
I would be more annoyed at LBY and the Emperor, with her mother coming in third and her father fourth if I was CSS playing the blame game about what happened that day.

I do hope, like you, that the second half is filled with CSS romance and an understanding growing between CSS and her mother. This drama reminds me a bit of Who Rules the World and A Dream of Splendor in that the first halves were pretty angst and drag free. Like both dramas, I think surely it will come to this drama and that is when we will see how good this drama can really be in how it is received by viewers and dealt with by the drama itself.

Overall, I just do not see why XYY should be getting so much hate. I think it is fair to be critical, but critical to be fair. Yang Yang and CSS are two different people with different situations, so of course the evaluation would be different. I think that CSS and her mother would not be among the best mothers, daughters, or mother-daughter relationship rankings in C-dramas. I fully believe that she loves her daughter and vice-versa. I do hope that they are able to see that and that their relationship improves. They both have some work to do. The double taste-slapping incident gave me hope that it is possible that they will get along even if their personalities might not always allow it.

Mom and daughter are so alike. The mother really went in the same general direction that CSS went in trying to avoid the matchmaking. Clearly, the mother knows the danger of getting involved with the ruling family, and I think that is really what she wanted to avoid. I agree with a comment below that they could watch mother and daughter verbally spar for a whole episode. It is probably part of the reason why LBY thinks CSS is the best lady in the world.

Before all the recent events unfolded, I would have said Lou Yao would have been fine and gotten over his first real love. Now, I think he should probably keep his head down, lest he lose it. Too soon?

She is pretty talented in any field. She is pretty and talented, so she would be a good fit in any drama.

The ML has too strong of a presence for me to think that he would tolerate any sort of SML behavior from other guys once they get together.

I tend to agree as long as the nebulous web of romantic entanglement does not linger for most of the drama. When other love interests take their shot, accept being turned down, and settle into some other role in the lives of the leads, that is what I prefer the most.

I have watched to episode 22, and it is still pretty easy going and more comedy than romance or drama. There is an undercurrent of things going on unseen, so obviously some hiccups are going to be in store for the couple. The episodes seem more like dramedy than rom-com, but you can find rom-coms just about anywhere. I hope the drama continues to keep the comedy, the buildup of romance, and the writers have kept their hand off of angst and drag that plague dramas overall. Friction, conflict, tension, plot thickener, or whatever you want to call it is necessary to move the story along, and the drama has done well to keep those light and fresh. If someone has watched a few episodes and liked it, then it seems like must-see viewing. I hope it continues that way.

It does say her chubby appearance is unlike the fair and slender maidens in the inner court which is true. She lived in a small village and probably was in the sun more often so her complexion is darker. She probably never had to meet (or felt compelled to meet) any sort of beauty standards that royal/imperial women feel pressured to meet. She does not starve herself. It is an apt description and does not detract from her beauty.

Maybe it is only me, but while the drama should be melodramatic, it has not come across as melo as you would expect. There is enough fluff and comedy to take the edge off of the deep chasms that these characters find themselves in. I wish Wang Zi Xuan's character would have been introduced earlier. She provides some brightness that is needed considering how dark or gloomy the other characters can be.

I am going to take your word for it. I start every episode with a bit of worry that not only will they edit it poorly, but they will start to add the drag/angst/noble idiocy/get together to breakup to get together/mountain out of a molehill misunderstandings that so many of these extended length dramas rely on to get to the end.